Dahae

The Dahae were a confederation of Scythian peoples from Central Asia who inhabited Turkmenistan. By the 5th century BC, the Dahae lived next to the Saka, and both tribes took part in the 331 BC Battle of Gaugamela. After the collapse of the Persian Empire the next year, Dahae mounted archers were hired as mercenaries by Macedonian king Alexander the Great for his invasion of India. During the 3rd century BC, the Dahae chief Ashk invaded the region of Parthia, and he crowned himself king as "Arsaces I". By the 1st century BC, the Dahae sent envoys to China, who called them "Dayi". They continued to inhabit Central Asia during the Roman era.